Triple A predicts that 54.6 million people will travel for Thanksgiving, and 48.7 million of those will drive. They determine that the busy Thanksgiving travel season is Wednesday through Sunday.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – One of the busiest travel times of the year is here. AAA expects this Thanksgiving to be shy of pre-pandemic travel numbers.
Triple A predicts that 54.6 million people will travel for Thanksgiving, and 48.7 million of those will drive. They determine that the busy Thanksgiving travel season is Wednesday through Sunday.
“So I think if you want to travel for Thanksgiving, you should do it four days before,” said Claire Berger, who is traveling from Los Angeles to Oregon.
Action News Now spoke to many people who started traveling on vacation who say it’s been quiet.
“I would say that we have had no problems; it’s been a great trip,” said Roberta Tomal, who is traveling from San Diego.
“We are sailing, it is very good. Our first stop is Ashland and we’ll get there in good time,” Berger said.
If you can’t leave early, INRIX, a company that provides travel analytics, says you can beat the traffic by traveling before 11 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and avoiding traveling between 4 and 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday. it’s your best bet.
“We left San Diego around 3:30 in the morning, we have a couple of dogs and the cat here going with us,” Tomal said. “I find when you leave a few days before Thanksgiving, it’s not a problem.”
AAA expects air travel to grow 8% from last year, and people going by train, bus or cruise ship to grow 23% from 2021. They also expect this to be the third busiest year for air travel. Thanksgiving Day since 2000.
Sacramento International Airport also hosts many travelers. The airport expects to either reach or surpass its pre-pandemic levels of over one million flyers in November 2019. If you’re planning to fly out this week, you can view each parking lot and the number of spaces remaining in real time, here.
AAA says if you’re driving, no matter what time you leave, plan for delays. Even if you leave during the suggested early morning or late night hours, traffic should still be higher than usual.
